A film of oil remains on the surface at Hythe's Royal Military canal after a council barge spilt 40 litres of hydraulic oil into the water.

The spillage happened last Monday (March 5) and the Environment Agency was called to the beauty spot the next day to conduct tests on the water.

But despite fears for the surrounding wildlife, which has seen eight swans taken into rescue at a sanctuary, Shepway District Council has confirmed that the oil is biodegradable and poses a "minimum risk to wildlife".

A council spokesman said the oil is designed to safely disperse in water but that on this occasion it emulsified, causing an oily film to cover much of the canal.

A council barge spilled oil into the canal (Image: The Swan Sanctuary)

Steve Knight, a trustee of The Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton, Middlesex, disputes this.

He said that while the canal now appears mostly clean, the oil has interfered with the swans’ waterproofing, meaning they have not been able to return to the water and are more susceptible to foxes and hypothermia.

The sanctuary has so far rescued eight swans from the canal and will be looking after them for the next five or six weeks until they redevelop waterproofing.

The Swan Santuary has rescued eight swans from the canal (Image: The Swan Sanctuary)